Panty garment with frictional stocking support



Dec. 26, 1967 J. F. BURKE 3,359,571

PANTY GARMENT WITH FRICTIONAL STOCKING SUPPORT Filed July 11, 1966 ill //V VE N 70/? Jam 25F Burke United States Patent M 3,359,571 PANTY GARMENT WITH FRICTIONAL STOCKING SUPPORT James F. Burke, Aurora, 11]., assignor to Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, 11]., a corporation of New York Filed July 11, 1966, Ser. No. 564,317 5 Claims. (Cl. 2-224) AESTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE The invention relates to panty-type undergarments for women, having hose retaining supports at the lower edges of the leg portions which retain securely the upper ends of the hose without visible bulging effects. Each hose retaining support consists of an integral textile band, formed of a plurality of strips at spaced elevations with an open-mesh strip therebetween. All the strips are stretchable in a circumferential direction, but only the spaced strips are provided with frictional filaments of gum elastic or the like, extending in the direction of the warp, and these are bound on the inner face of the strips only, by a plurality of woof strands of non-elastic transverse filaments. These woof strands extend, as well through the intermediate open-mesh strip, which contains relatively few covered elastic strands. The intermediate strip affords a relief area between the gripping areas produced by the frictional filaments of gum elastic, which may be tightly stretched between the transverse filaments, or less so, by the provision of loops between the latter, when the panty girdle is worn. Thereby, the upper end of the hose is gripped by either one or both of the spaced strips around its entire periphery without any visible effects on the outer garments worn over the panty-type undergarment.

This application is in part a continuation of my copending application Ser. No. 488,381 filed Sept. 20, 1965.

My invention relates to intimate garments for females which may be generally classified as of the panty type, such as panty-type drawers or a panty girdle.

A particular feature of my invention consists in the provision of means at or near the extremity of the leg portions of the garment for frictional support of hose.

In modern female dress, especially for young women, it is desired that an outer garment of the trouser type, such as the so-called toreador pants or denim jeans, be tight fitting. When, as is sometimes the case, it is desired to wear long hose under such a trouser type garment, the use of garters and fasteners is aesthetically undesirable because the outline of the grippers may be visible through the outer garment and the garters may be uncomfortable because of pressure from the outer garment.

Accordingly, it is desirable that the hose be supported from the top without the usual garters or so-called suspenders.

A desired solution of this problem is to provide frictional means adjacent the extremities of the leg portions of the undergarment for engaging the upper extremities of the hose and thus securing the latter against displacement, whereby a smooth and neat contour is visible to the observer without unsightly bulges of garters and grippers.

It has heretofore been suggested that frictional means be provided on garments to prevent slippage of one garment relative to another on the body or slippage of the garment relative to the body itself, as for example in Chisholm Patent 1,666,686 dated Apr. 17, 1928, wherein resistance to slipping is obtained by interweaving rubber strands above the face of a supporting fabric. Also of interest in this connection is Deegan Patent 2,453,834 dated Nov. 16, 1948, disclosing a retainer band composed of latex or synthetic rubber worn on the thigh and adapted Patented Dec. 26, 1967 to grip frictionally the skin of the wearer and also serving as a support for hosiery or for a girdle or both.

According to my invention, I provide in the leg portions of an undergarment adjacent the free extremities thereof a band of one-Way stretch fabric, commonly referred to in the trade as lastex, to which is permanently secured a plurality of spaced filaments of gum elastic having a high coefiicient of friction as well as a high degree of elasticity, said gum elastic filaments being secured on the surface of the lastex by transverse interwoven spaced filaments, preferably of a synthetic yarn.

Another object is to provide a garment having leg bands of the type referred to, wherein said elastic filaments are so interwoven that, when in slack condition, as when not worn on the human body, they will form inwardly extending loops or bights of such length that, when the garment is put on the body, such slacks and bights will be largely eliminated because of the longitudinal stretching or extension of the surrounding fabric, while the diameter of said elastic filaments will be reduced, if at all, to a lesser extent than if the bights were not present. Thus, a major part of the surface of the elastic filaments will remain available for frictional engagement with the hose. The gripping efiiciency of the band is greatly increased by such structure.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a frictional band of the character referred to comprising a plurality of strips of peculiar character so proportioned, constructed and arranged as to grip a garment such as a stocking with maximum efiiciency and security.

A further object is to provide a multi-strip friction band of the character referred to in combination with a garment of the panty type.

A number of other important objects will become apparent and advantages are obtained by my invention, all as fully described herebelow.

Referring now to the drawings forming a part of this specification and illustrating certain preferred embodiments of my invention.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one type of undergarment embodying my invention, shown as worn on the human figure;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view, partially in transverse section showing the frictional face of an improved composite fabric embodying my invention and employed in the garment of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view, slightly enlarged over FIG. 1, showing the friction face of a portion of said fabric;

FIG. 4 is a greatly enlarged plan view of the friction face of a portion of said fabric;

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 4 on a further enlarged scale, and

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 of another embodiment of my invention.

The numeral 10 indicates an undergarment for females of the panty-girdle type having a body portion 12 designed to cover the lower portion of the torso and leg portions 15. While the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 happens to be a figure-molding garment of the type known in the trade as a panty girdle, it should be understood that my invention is applicable to a wide variety of undergarments for females and may be, for example, applicable to underdrawers of the type known as panties.

Attached to the lower extremity of each of the leg portions 15 as by stitching along the line 18 is a hose-securing composite band indicated generally by the numeral 20 and intended to engage the upper marginal portion of a stocking by frictional means, as hereinafter described.

As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, band 20 comprises one or more interconnected strips indicated by the numerals 22a, 22b and 22c formed of longitudinally stretchable material which may be and preferably is of the same 3 character as the body portion of garment and known to the trade as Lastex. Said strips 22a and 22b are spaced from each other by a strip 25a of open-mesh material which will be described more in detail herebelow, while a similar strip 25b separates strips 22b and 220.

Secured to one surface of strips 22b and 220 are a plurality of filaments or strands 28 (FIGS. 3, 4-6) of frictional material. While various materials may be employed for this purpose, I preferably use filaments of unrefined gum elastic, knOWn on the market as pebble straw gum elastic. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such filaments might be obtained from natural or synthetic rubber, having a high coefficient of friction, these filaments either having a fiat face, as seen in FIG. 4, or being round in cross-section, as desired. In any event, filaments 28 preferably will be so woven through the fabric as to be exposed on only one surface, i.e., the inside as seen in FIGS. 5 and 6, or next to the body.

Filaments 28 are secured to the inner face of one or more of the Lastex strips 22a, 22b and 220 (in this case to the two strips 22]) and 22c) by means of transverse filaments 30. While these transverse filaments 30 might be of any desired material, they are preferably of a relatively non-elastic, heavy denier polyproplyene resin, preferably having a denier value within the approximate range of 150 to 350. As seen in FIG. 4, the strands or filaments 30 are interwoven with elastic filaments 28 to secure them to the inner surface of the stretchable fabric, and said filaments 30 likewise extend across the open-mesh strips 25a and 25b and are secured to strips 22a, 22b and 220 by interweaving them into the surface thereof between the warp strands of the stretchable material.

Interwoven with the transverse filaments 30 in strips 25a and 25b are stretchable filaments preferably of the same character as the elastic filaments which provide the characteristic one-Way stretch in the Lastex fabric, as in strips 22a, 22b, and 220. Such a filament 35, as is well known in the art, is a composite strand consisting of a filament of natural or synthetic rubber around which is wound one or more filaments of cotton or synthetic yarn so as to provide a highly elastic strand.

It will be noted that in the strips 25:: and 2512 a plurality of strands of so-called Lastex filaments 35 are interwoven with the transverse non-elastic filaments 30.

By reason of the peculiar construction described above, the composite or multi-ply band 20 has a high degree of longitudinal stretch or elasticity, known in the trade as modulus, and this quality is retained after repeated machine laundering, even with very hot water and strong detergents.

The use of the elastic strands 28 on the inner face of the garment provides such a large area of frictional contact as will securely retain a stocking when the marginal portion thereof is engaged by band 20.

By providing a plurality of frictional areas, as in zones 22b and 220, the wearer is insured of secure retention of the stocking. If by any chance the marginal portion of the hose should become detached from the upper band 22b, it will still be likely to remain securely attached to the next lower band 220.

Improved band 20 may conveniently be knitted on a double-shuttle loom, which makes it possible at minimum cost and maximum convenience to integrate a plurality of strips of web elastic at predetermined intervals.

Severe tests have demonstrated that the improved fabric band 20 embodying my invention may be employed on a garment at relatively slight expense and functions with maximum efficiency to retain the hose under conditions of great muscular activity.

By having the friction filaments exposed on only the inside of the garment, they are available for securing the hose without interfering with the outer garment.

FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of my invention similar in all respects to that described hereabove except in that the elastic frictional filaments 28a are so attached to the surface of the lastex fabric as by the strands 30, that they form substantial loops or bights B which normally extend a substantial distance from the general plane of the fabric strip when the latter is relaxed, i.e., not being worn. However, when the strip is stretched, as when worn, the filaments will be considerably less elongated, if at all, than if the loops B were not present. Hence, more friction surface will be available and the hose will be retained with greater security for a given number of strands of filaments 28.

Various changes coming within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art; hence, I do not wish to be limited to the specific embodiments shown and described or uses mentioned, but intend the same to be merely exemplary, the scope of my invention being limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A non-slip fabric band for attachment to a garment, comprising (a) a plurality of first strips of longitudinally elastic textile material having a plurality of interwoven frictional filaments in closely spaced parallel relation exposed on only one surface of said strips and secured thereto by a plurality of spaced inextensible transverse filaments, for frictionally gripping an adjacent garment, and

(b) a second textile strip separating said first strips, said second strip also being longitudinally elastic and being of open-mesh character, and comprised of widely spaced elastic warp strands with transverse inextensible filaments inerwoven therewith constituting extensions of the transverse filaments in said first strips, which retain said frictional filaments in place.

2. An undergarment having leg portions with bottom extremities, and a band as defined in claim 1 stitched to the bottom extremity of each of said leg portions, said frictional filaments being exposed only on the inside surface of the garment.

3. A band as in claim 1, wherein said frictional filaments are so woven as to form loops extending a substantial distance from the general plane of the strip, so that, when the latter is stretched, said frictional filaments will be extended substantially less than if woven substantially flush with the strip surface, and thus will provide a larger amount of friction area.

4. An undergarment having leg portions with bottom extremities, and a band as defined in claim 3 stitched to the bottom extremity of each of said leg portions, said frictional filaments being exposed only on the inside surface of the garment.

5. A fabric as set forth in claim 1, wherein the spaced elastic warp strands in the second textile strip are fewer in number than the frictional filaments in said first strips.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,666,686 4/1928 Chisholm 139-420 2,425,479 8/1947 Le Blane 2.31l 3,009,464 11/1961 Owen et al. 128-536 3,249,110 5/1966 Bryan 2224 X 3,253,599 5/1966 Bjorn-Larsen 2224 X JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner. H. HUNTER, Examiner. 

1. A NON-SLIP FABRIC BAND FOR ATTACHMENT TO A GARMENT, COMPRISING (A) A PLURALITY OF FIRST STRIPS OF LONGITUDINALLY ELASTIC TEXTILE MATERIAL HAVING A PLURALITY OF INTERWOVEN FRICTIONAL FILAMENTS IN CLOSELY SPACED PARALLEL RELATION EXPOSED ON ONLY ONE SURFACE OF SAID STRIPS AND SECURED THERETO BY A PLURALITY OF SPACED INEXTENSIBLE TRANSVERSE FILAMENTS, FOR FRICTIONALLY GRIPPING AN ADJACENT GARMENT, AND (B) A SECOND TEXTILE STRIP SEPARATING SAID FIRST STRIPS, SAID SECOND STRIP ALSO BEING LONGITUDINALLY ELASTIC AND BEING OF OPEN-MESH CHARACTER, AND COMPRISED OF WIDELY SPACED ELASTIC WARP STRANDS WITH TRANSVERSE INEXTENSIBLE FILAMENTS INERWOVEN THEREWITH CONSTITUTING EXTENSIONS OF THE TRANSVERSE FILAMENTS IN SAID FIRST STRIPS, WHICH RETAIN SAID FRICTIONAL FILAMENTS IN PLACE. 